Viewpoint
By Randy Cole
Making Disciples by Shepherding
Know Your Sheep
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." John 10:14
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
So far in this series, we have covered the Sheep Fold, the Sheep Pen, the Door, the Voice, Comfort Zone, Abundant Life, and the Mission. The next aspect of "shepherding" that we'll unpack is the concept of Knowing Your Sheep.
Again, we need to know and understand how Jesus modeled the concept of "knowing the sheep", and then try to follow the example of our Good Shepherd. John 10 verses 14 and 27 introduce this concept to us. Clearly, Jesus is telling His disciples that there is a two-way relationship. Not only does the Good Shepherd know His sheep, but the reverse is also true - followers of Jesus know that He is their Shepherd. There are three essential aspects of "knowing the Good Shepherd":
- They know His voice (John 10:4). Followers of Jesus recognize Truth from untruth. Followers of Jesus can discern true teaching from false prophets. Followers of Jesus must be able to discern the source of teaching - either the Spirit or from the voice of the "stranger" (John 10:5).
- They listen to His voice (John 10:27). Recognizing the voice of Truth is only the first step. Followers of Jesus must be able to understand what Jesus is telling them to do. They must be able to connect the Word of God into applications and actions.
- They follow Jesus (John 10:27). Understanding what I need to do is not enough. As a follower of Jesus I must obey His voice. Only by obeying and following the Word do I gain wisdom.
These three words - Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom - are repeated many times throughout the Old and New Testaments.
- The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD-Isaiah 11:2
- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
- These three words are repeated many times in the first 4 chapters of Proverbs, with one verse containing all three: For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6). If you read these 4 chapters of the Word, I think you will get an "understanding" of the importance of obedience in the context of "wisdom".
Summary: Obedience is the measurement and standard for knowing the Good Shepherd. The sheep of the Good Shepherd can't say that they know Jesus without knowing, understanding and obeying His teaching and commands.
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